How to Be Awesome

I have spotted this awesome Book Wreath all over blog land and decided that I wanted to make one. But then I was experimenting with these acordian-like flowers and decided to make a book wreath my way, using them. Here is the step-by-step (and I am not a good photographer so my apologies):

First I started with pages from a book from Goodwill. I got a tour book of Chicago to make it more personal and this actually worked out well because there were little maps inside that helped to mix up the patterns. The size of the flower will depend on the size you cut your paper (book pages). Then, do something you haven’t done since grade school when you used to make paper fans:

Basically you fold the paper back and forth until you make as many as you need. (You will need three acordians for each flower). This is the most time consuming part of the project.

Next, fire up your glue gun. Each acordian piece must be folded and where you fold it, you glue the insides to one another:

That part is kind of hard to explain but hopefully you get the idea.

Now you see how you have three pieces that should fit together. You glue the sides of one to another and so forth until you have glued it together (3 spots).

So that’s how you make the basic flower. Repeat as necessary.

I cut out a crude wreath form from some old cardboard to glue my flowers onto.

I glued buttons of various colors into the center of each of my flowers.

Then, you arrange your flowers onto the form as you want them, and hot glue them on. This is a bit tricky because the flowers don’t lay flat. I used a lot of hot glue!

And here is the finished product! I added ribbon to hang it with and a bow (a good bow tie-er I am not)

And here it is bringing a little springtime to my dark door!

Quote of the Day: “Stay with me till time turns over – I want to feel my feet leave the ground. Take me where the whispering breezes can lift me up and spin me around. If I could I would… Hear you laughing as we go – Flipping backward through the doors and through the windows… I’m melting into nothing.” –Phish